For over a century, sharpshooters have shaped the evolution of special operations warfare. From the minimalist precision of Simo Häyhä to the extreme-range shots of modern SOF snipers, these marksmen forced militaries to rethink how small teams could dominate the battlefield. Advances in optics, ballistics, and training didn't just make rifles better, they transformed snipers into high-value assets for reconnaissance, target interdiction, and mission security.
The US Air Force plane that crashed into a field in Oklahoma late Thursday afternoon was a new special operations light attack aircraft that the service first received earlier this year. The new OA-1K Skyraider II is a militarized version of the well-known Air Tractor AT-802, which is used for agricultural work like crop dusting, or aerial application of pesticides or fertilizer. The Air Force plane supports missions like close air support and armed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.